Gone
by Pamplemousse-Juice
Summary: Booth wakes up one morning, the previous night blanked from memory. He then finds that Bones is no longer Bones. She's a surgeon...by the name of Joy Keenan, and has never met him. What happened that night, and where is his Bones gone? Now Complete!
1. Missing in Action

A/N - The idea for this came to me in a dream I had after watching "Mayhem on a Cross" late one night (which was a brilliant episode if you haven't seen it already!). Anyway, it was originally just a one-shot I really wanted to write, but now I think it'll be maybe five chapters long. I really hope you enjoy it!

Reviews are always welcome!

Chapter One - Missing in Action 

"_You know what, Bones? Sometimes I wish you were just...normal!"_

These were the last words Seeley Booth had said to his partner before storming out of her apartment. By the time he was out the door, Temperance Brennan was in tears, wondering what she'd done wrong.

When Booth woke up the following morning, most of their short argument, if you could call it that, was all but forgotten. It was overshadowed by the throbbing in the back of his head, which didn't make sense, because he was pretty certain he hadn't been drinking. He pulled himself out of bed, clambering into the kitchen to get a couple of tylenols to ease the pain. He swallowed two with a glass of water and proceeded to have a shower. Once finished, he dressed himself in his normal suit and walked out to his black Lincoln Navigator.

Before starting the ignition, he pulled out his phone to check if there were any missed calls from Bones or any of the other squints about their current case. He was surprised when the picture of himself and Bones taken when they were in London was no longer his screensaver and instead he was greeted by a picture of a smiling Parker. He didn't remember changing it, but he presumed he must have, and didn't give it any more thought before he set off.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the FBI Headquarters and was making his way up to his office. As he sat down at his desk, he sensed that something was wrong. For one thing, the London policeman bobble-head that had sat on his desk for months was missing. It was strange but again, Booth didn't think too much of it, deciding instead to make a start on the paperwork for their last case. He pulled open his drawer, pulling out the manilla file at the top, which he assumed was the correct file. However, upon opening it, he found it was about an undercover drug-bust which he had no recollection of. It wasn't even something he ever involved himself with, not since teaming up with Bones. He guessed the case file was mixed up with some others, and began to root through the drawer. He went through all of them, and was shocked to find that none of the cases he'd had with Bones were there and that he couldn't remember ever being part of any of those he found. He double-checked that he was in the right office, but found his name on both his desk and the door, along with a photograph of Parker on his desk.

It was all very bizarre, so he decided to call Bones, just to check that he wasn't going insane. He was again confused when he found Bones' number missing from his phone. It didn't matter, as he knew it anyway, but he was completely puzzled regardless. He dialled her cell number and held the phone up to his ear. After a few dial-tones, he heard the familiar voice of his partner at the other end.

"Hello?"

"Bones! Boy am I glad to hear your voice-"

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"What are you talking about, Bones? It's Booth!"

"Sorry?"

"Booth! Agent Seeley Booth! Who do you think it is, Bones?"

"I'm sorry, I think you have a wrong number. There's no Bones here."

"What? I know it's you! Temperance Brennan?"

"This is Joy Keenan. I don't know any Temperance Brennans, or 'Bones's, and I certainly don't know you."

"What? But you haven't been called Joy Keenan since you were a kid! Your parents changed your name to Temperance!" Booth was desperate at this stage. He was completely confused as to what the hell was going on.

"I'm hanging up now."

"Wait! Could I just ask you a question?"

"Fine, one question."

"What are you? Like, are you still a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute?"

"No, and I never was, sir. I don't know where you got that idea. I'm a neurosurgeon."

"A neurosurgeon? As in a doctor?"

"Of course. May I hang up now?" This didn't make sense. Bones would never be a doctor, well, not a medical doctor. She wasn't particularly good with people.

"Wait, just one more question?"

"You're really trying my patience, sir, but go ahead."

"Are you married?"

"What? I'm hanging up!"

"No, please, I just need to know. I'm not a pervert, or anything, I...just need to know."

"Well, if you must know, yes, I am, happily." Booth was silent. "Okay, goodbye now." And before Booth could object again, she hung up. Booth sunk back into his chair, exhaling slowly. What the hell was going on? His Bones wasn't his Bones anymore. She wasn't even Brennan. She was Joy. Joy Keenan. He never thought that name fitted her. It just wasn't...her. Something was seriously wrong, and he had to get to the bottom of it. He opened up his MacBook and google searched "Joy Keenan". Immediately, several facebook pages appeared, and he clicked on the first one, which was clearly hers. Of course, not being her 'friend', he couldn't get much information from it, but it he could see a small photograph of not only 'Joy', but a tall man (who Booth couldn't help but notice looked something like himself), who Booth assumed was her husband. However what was most shocking was what 'Joy' held in her arms: a newborn baby (a girl, judging by the pink all-in-one she was wearing).

Booth honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman before him in the picture was definitely who he was looking for, but he doubted she was the same person he knew, and loved. 'His' Bones was completely against marriage. She thought it was completely pointless. She also never wanted to have children, as far as Booth was aware. Everything was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong, for no apparent reason. Suddenly, an image of a teary Bones appeared in his head. He wracked his brains, but he just couldn't place it. It confused him, just as everything else around him did and, try as he might, he couldn't remember any other information relating to the image. Had he been the one to make her cry? It was not being able to answer that question that troubled Booth most.

He decided that he had to find someone else who he might still know. The first person who came to mind was Sweets, because although he only knew him because of his sessions with Bones, Sweets worked for the FBI, in the same building, rather than at the Jeffersonian, to which Booth was connected by Bones, who he obviously didn't know anymore. He got up from his chair and walked out of the office towards the elevator. When he reached Sweets' floor, he walked down the corridor, eventually coming to the office labelled "Dr. Lance Sweets". He knocked on it, slightly hesitantly.

"Come in." Came a familiar voice from behind the door. Booth pushed down the handle and entered, relieved to see Sweets' face. "Oh, hello Agent Booth." He greeted him. Well, thank God he knew who he was. Sweets' brow furrowed at the sight of Booth's distressed appearance. "Is something wrong?" Booth nodded.

"Yeah, Sweets, something _is _wrong. Bones, she isn't...Bones anymore, and I think I might be part of the drugs unit and-" Sweets interrupted.

"Firstly, sit down, secondly, slow down. Start from the beginning. You mentioned something about some bones?"

"No, Sweets, not _some_ bones, _my _Bones. As in my partner!"

"Your partner's bones?"

"No, my partner! Her name is Bones!"

"Do you mean your sexual partner?"

"No, Sweets, God no! I'm talking about Temperance Brennan, my scientist partner."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about, Agent Booth." Booth exhaled slowly again. It figured.

"Look, just forget it, Sweets, you're no help to me."

"No, Agent Booth, I'm sure there's some way I can help. Please, just explain what's happening."

"Okay, but to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure myself what's going on." Booth began. "When I woke up this morning, everything was...different."

"How so?"

"Well, you see, you don't know this, but I work with this fantastic woman, a scientist, named Dr. Temperance Brennan, but I call her Bones. She's a...forensic anthropologist, and she solves murders with me. To be honest though, we're kind of more than partners, we're friends...maybe more. But, I think something might have happened last night, because when I woke up this morning, the whole evening was missing from my memory, but what was weirder was that Bones was gone."

"Like, missing?"

"No, she's present and accounted for, Sweets, but she's not...she's a different person. you see, when Bones was a kid, her name was changed from Joy Keenan. Now, for some reason, that's her name again, and she's a neurosurgeon, and she's married and has a baby and she doesn't know me anymore." Booth's voice began to crack a little towards the end of the sentence.

"I don't understand, Agent Booth."

"Neither do I, but every trace of the Bones I knew is gone. It's not just as if I never met her, but she seems to be an entirely different person. For one thing, Bones was never good with people, but now she's a doctor. She was also completely and utterly against marriage, but now she's 'happily married'. I don't know what's going on, Sweets."

"I don't know either, Agent Booth. I honestly don't. But, I do believe the answer may lie in what happened last night, between yourself and your partner."

"But I don't even know if I was with her last night." Booth protested.

"Can you be sure that you weren't?"

"No. But I can't remember anything about what happened! And nobody else will either, because everything is different!" Then, Booth remembered the image of Bones crying. "Wait, I think I remember something."

"What is it?" Sweets asked, intrigued.

"I remembered it earlier, but I couldn't place the memory. It was Bones, I think it was in her apartment, and she was crying a little. It must have been last night."

"Can you remember anything else?" Booth sighed, shaking his head.

"It's so frustrating. I don't know if it was me who was making her cry or not." Then, just as suddenly as the first image appeared, another memory became vivid in his mind. However, this one was not an image, it was a feeling. It felt like...anger...frustration. Maybe he was frustrated with Bones, and made her cry. But what could he have said to make her so upset? Bones didn't cry for just anything. Booth sunk back into his chair, hopelessly confused, sighing. "I think it was me who made her cry. I remember being angry and frustrated. It had to be me."

"You don't have any idea as to what might have made you angry?"

"No. Nothing I ever said before made Bones cry." Sweets remained silent for a moment, thinking.

"If you don't mind me asking, Agent Booth, but was there ever a sexual component to your relationship with 'Bones'?"

"What? No. Well, not really. We kissed once, but that was because Caroline Julian made us."

"She was puckish, wasn't she?"

"How'd you know that?"

"You don't want to know, Agent Booth."

"Anyway, what me and Bones had...it was complicated. Like I said, she was never really a people person. She was abandoned by her parents as a kid and was abused in the foster system, so she wasn't great with expressing her emotions. She was a genius, but she could never open up to anyone."

"But did you have feelings for her?" Booth remained silent. Sweets nodded, knowingly. "Do you think she had feelings for you?"

"I honestly don't know, Sweets. I think...maybe...maybe she did."

"Do you think this might be related to what happened last night?"

"It...could have. There's no reason why it couldn't have."

"Such an issue could cause even those with the most difficulty expressing their emotions to become upset. It's likely that you could have had an argument about it." Booth sighed. It was more than likely. Recently he'd been more attracted to Bones than ever. It seemed like every time he looked at her, she was more beautiful. She had also been surprising him more now than she ever had before. She'd become more open with her feelings, though not hugely. She was changing, for the better. He thought that, finally, she was getting better at communicating and relating to people. And he had an awful, sickening feeling that he might have spoilt that in a single evening.

What had happened?


	2. Familiar Faces

Chapter Two - Familiar Faces

"Agent Booth, it doesn't look like we're gonna get anywhere with this if you can't remember anything about last night." Sweets said, with a sigh. "I suggest you go home and rest. Hopefully more memories will start to surface soon."

"I'm not sure they will, Dr. Sweets. There's very little around here that reminds me of her, and I'm the only one who is actually able to remember anything."

"Well, there has to be something that could jog your memory. A place, maybe?"

"Like where?"

"Well, you say you were in Bones' apartment last night."

"Sweets, she obviously doesn't live there anymore."

"Did you two go anywhere beforehand?"

"No, we just came straight from work. I'm pretty certain of that."

"Well, you could try going to the Jeffersonian. It's sort of a long-shot, but what harm could there be in trying?"

"I dunno, Sweets. I mean, none of the squints will know me anymore."

"If you want, I could come with you. I still work with some people over there on cases. Who did you know there?"

"Well, there was Cam, well, Dr. Saroyan, Angela, Hodgins and Zack, before he got arrested."

"Are you talking about Dr. Addy? He got arrested in your reality?"

"Yeah, for assisting the Gormagon, the cannibal."

"Oh yes, I heard of that case. It was solved earlier this year. I don't believe Dr. Addy was ever involved though."

"Well, a lot of stuff here is different, Sweets, it's not surprising." Booth sighed. "That's probably the only good thing about this entire reality, that Zack's still around. Let's go, then."

~~~~*~~~~

Within a half-hour, Sweets and Booth were walking into the Medico-Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute. Everything looked exactly the same; Booth was the only one who could feel Bones' absence. He rarely came here without her.

It wasn't long before the two of them were spotted.

"Dr. Sweets, what are you doing here?" Zack asked. It was strange to see Zack back in his labcoat. In fact, it was strange just to see Zack at all. It had to have been months since their last encounter.

"Oh, hey Sweets." Angela greeted them. She smiled cheekily at Booth. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Dr. Seeley Booth, one of my associates from the FBI."

"Another psychologist?" Hodgins asked. He didn't seem particularly please, not surprisingly.

"Yes. Dr. Booth's new to the field of forensic psychology, so I offered to let him observe my work for a few days." Himself and Booth had come up with the cover story on the drive over. Booth wasn't happy about having to play the part of a psychologist, but they both agreed that it would work.

"Hi." Booth said simply.

"Seeley Booth? What are you doing here?" Booth and Sweets both turned around when they heard Cam's voice come from behind them. Booth froze. He'd forgotten that, because he'd known Cam before Bones, it was completely likely that they still knew each other in this reality. Sweets turned to Booth, an expression of pure confusion on his face.

"Hi, Cam." Booth said nervously. "Could we maybe speak to you in private?"

"Sure." She said, slightly puzzled. "We can go to my office if you'd like." Booth nodded.

"What do you think that's about?" Hodgins asked when they were gone.

"Hmm, I think Dr. Booth and Cam were together once."

"How do you figure that?"

"I dunno, he looked pretty awkward." Angela sighed. "He was hot, too."

"Angela, you do remember that you're married, right?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Meanwhile, Booth and Sweets followed Cam down the corridor to her office.

"Seeley, is something wrong?" She asked as soon as they were inside.

"Well, not really, no, but there is something going on." Booth said, as he sat down. "It's complicated, Cam. Kind of...hard to understand. A bit crazy."

"Well, I have time. Explain."

"I dunno, Dr. Saroyan, it is pretty weird." Sweets said.

"I'm sure it can't be all that difficult."

"Wait until you hear it." Booth sighed. "Well, you see...I have this...partner, a work partner. Her name is Dr. Temperance Brennan, and she's probably the best forensic anthropologist in the world. That's my opinion, anyway."

"He calls her 'Bones'." Sweets added.

"She works here, for you. Well, at least, she did." Booth said, sighing again. He hated that he couldn't just talk to her, even just see her. He resented having to talk about her, knowing there was probably nothing he could do to get her back. It was just depressing.

"Seeley, I've never heard of her, and she definitely never worked for me."

"Let me finish, Cam. She _did_ work here, before today. When I woke up this morning...she was gone. Well, she wasn't gone, per say, but she was a...different person."

"I'm confused, what do you mean? A different person?"

"I called her, because her number still worked, and when she picked up, she didn't know me. She wasn't even Temperance Brennan, she was still Joy Keenan. For some reason, she was still using the name she was born with."

"Wait, Joy Keenan? As in, the neurosurgeon?" Cam asked. Booth nodded. "I know her. We worked together for several years."

"Really?" Sweets asked.

"Yes. We were fairly close, actually. Last time I saw her was at her daughter Ruthie's christening."

"Ruthie." Booth repeated. Of course Joy had named her daughter after her mother. "Christening." He repeated. Another difference. Bones was an atheist, Joy was religious. He sighed. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting it. It was difficult to imagine Bones with a daughter, even if he knew it wasn't really Bones, but it was even harder to imagine Bones in a church, being religious.

"Yes, she's 18 months old now. Gorgeous little thing, looks exactly like Joy." Cam said, a smile on her face. When she looked up and saw the expression on Booth's face, her smile quickly faded. "I'm sorry, Seeley. I guess that doesn't help."

"It's okay, Cam, it's okay. I just...I don't know what happened. I mean, my job is different and you guys all don't know me, because I worked with you when Bones was around, but now she's not, and apparently never was, so my life's different too. It's all just so damn confusing, and I feel so useless."

"Have you any idea what could have possibly caused this?"

"I know I left her apartment last night really angry, and she was crying, but that was about it."

"Wait? You _left_ when she was crying? You never mentioned that before Booth. That's a new memory." Sweets looked suddenly hopeful.

"You can't remember last night? Any idea why?" Cam asked.

"Nope, but it's probably the same reason why my Bones is gone." Booth said, despondently.

Cam smiled.

"What?" Booth questioned her.

"You called her 'Your Bones'."

"And?"

"You were in love with her, weren't you?" Cam smiled, knowingly.

"No, I was just...emphasising that I was talking about the Bones from my reality." Booth said, awkwardly. He hadn't meant to call her 'his Bones' out loud.

"Right, I believe you." Cam said, still grinning cheekily as Sweets sniggered beside him. Booth glared at the two of them.

"Sorry." Sweets mumbled.

"I'm not going to apologise, Seeley." Cam stated. "Relationship issues is a possible reason for this happening."

"How do you mean?"

"That's possibly what the argument you had was about." Sweets answered the question. Booth thought for a moment.

"I guess...but why would that make Bones cry? She...she never really felt like that about me."

"You don't know that, Seeley. The Joy I know, she's not easy to read." Cam argued.

"Yeah, but Joy is Bones." Booth protested. Sweets raised his eyebrows.

"Are you saying Bones was easy to read?"

"No, but she wasn't really the type who got attached to people...not like that, anyway."

"I'm not going to rule it out, anyway." Sweets decided.

"Well, back to my original question. Seeley, what are you doing _here_?" Cam asked. Sweets and Booth explained their theory about Booth remembering things by being in the Jeffersonian. Cam nodded, agreeing with them. The fact that Booth had remembered the fact that he'd left Bones crying was evidence enough that something was working, anyway.

Booth just hoped he'd have more answers soon.


	3. Lost

Chapter Three - Lost

Booth spent the rest of the day shadowing Sweets. He came to a couple of interrogations, even getting to advise some of the agents, using the microphone and earpiece. It was sorely reminiscent of how Sweets advised himself and Bones when they questioned suspects from behind the mirror. It reminded him of how Bones had been making a genuine attempt to get better at interrogating and generally improve her people skills. He hated that he had, in all likelihood, ruined what he and Bones shared.

Throughout the day, he gradually recalled more of the previous evening's events. He learned that Bones had invited him over for dinner, though he still couldn't remember why exactly. He wasn't even sure Bones had given him a reason. They'd ordered Chinese food, and they'd talked on the sofa for a long time. He knew she'd asked him something, something very important, though it was completely beyond him what it had been about. Whatever it was, knew that it didn't take long for him to leave after she asked.

It had been a short argument. Booth had no idea what on earth it could have been about, but he knew was that that was all it took for him to storm out of the apartment in a rage, leaving his beloved Bones in tears.

The day culminated with Sweets and Booth sitting in the Royal Diner. Booth recounted to him all the little details he'd learned during the day, with Sweets jotting them down in a notebook, fascinated. It was when Booth was about to swallow a mouthful of cherry pie that everything appeared to go black for a moment, before the previous night's events began to play in front of him like a movie:

_Booth and Bones were sitting on the sofa in her apartment, eating their Chinese food and talking about the day's events. They were just about ready to wrap up yet another case, and they were pretty happy with themselves. They were laughing about some sort of joke, when Bones' face suddenly became serious. She looked down at her feet for a moment, before looking up at Booth, straight in the eye._

"_Booth, I've been thinking about...something, for a while now." She began._

"_What it is, Bones?" Booth asked, intrigued._

"_Well, it's just that I'm...I'm getting older, Booth, and...I'm still...pretty much...alone."_

"_Don't be ridiculous, Bones, you're not alone, you got me!" Booth smiled._

"_No...I mean I...I don't have...you know...I'm not in a serious relationship with anyone, and I haven't been for a long time. I mean, I don't understand why I feel like this, but I kind of just want to settle down, and...I dunno...have a family."_

"_What? Bones, I don't understand. You've always been against marriage. What about the whole 'humans are not a monogamous species' thing?"_

"_But Booth, isn't our whole reason for being to pro-create, to continue the species?"_

"_Wait, are you saying you...want a _child_?" Bones nodded, a little nervously._

"_I don't want to be alone forever, Booth." She said quietly._

"_But, like I said, you have me, Bones. You'll never be alone."_

"_That's good, for now. But, someday, you're going to meet someone who you love, and you'll want to get married and you won't have that much time for me, which I completely understand. Plus, recently I've begun to warm to the idea of another human being relying entirely on me. It's completely irrational, but the idea of having at least one person in the world who'll love me unconditionally...it's sort of attractive." Booth smiled, putting an arm around her._

"_Sounds like someone's biological clock is ticking."_

"_I don't know what that means." Bones said simply. Booth smiled again._

"_It's doesn't matter. My point is, it's completely natural to go through a phase of wanting a child. As you said, Bones, it's what we were all born to do."_

"_You think so"_

"_Of course. Heck, sometimes I even think it'd be nice to have another child."_

"_Really?" Booth nodded._

"_Sure. I'd especially love a little girl to spoil." Bones smiled._

"_So, you like being a father?"_

"_Bones, being a parent is the single most wonderful thing in the world."_

"_And you want another child?"_

"_Maybe, someday, but I'm not with anyone at the moment, so I don't see it happening anytime soon."_

"_What if...never mind." Bones began._

"_What if what?"_

"_It's stupid, Booth. It doesn't matter."_

"_I'll never think anything you say is stupid." Booth grinned at her._

"_You will."_

"_Bones, just spit it out."_

"_What?"_

"_Just tell me what you wanted to say."_

"_Fine. I was just...wondering...if maybe...you wouldn't mind being...the father of _my_ child." Booth was silent. "See! I told you it was stupid." Booth tried to speak, but his mouth just opened and closed several times, not unlike a fish. Eventually he managed to get something out._

"_What?!" He exclaimed incredulously. "_What_?!" He repeated. He couldn't quit believe what he was hearing. "You want me to...What?!"_

"_Look, just forget it, it's stupid."_

"_I can't just forget it, Bones. You're not exactly the kind to not think these kind of things through before even thinking of voicing them, so this isn't a 'spur of the moment' thing. You were serious about this."_

"_But you obviously don't want to, so it's okay."_

"_I never said I didn't."_

"_Really?"_

"_But Bones, I couldn't be...what would that mean for us?"_

"_Well, I was thinking you could donate the sperm, and no one would ever have to know it was you. You wouldn't have to have anything to do with the baby."_

"_What, like a business transaction."_

"_I guess so."_

"_You think I'd just let you have my child and not have anything to do with it?" Bones nodded. "I could...I could never do that Bones."_

"_Why not? I mean, it makes sense. You have sperm, I have perfectly healthy eggs, a womb, and I want a child. Like I said, no one would ever have to know."_

"_It _makes sense_? You don't just create a little human being, another life, just because it _makes sense_ to. Logic cannot be applied to everything, Bones."_

"_I don't see why it can't be applied to this situation."_

"_That's because you're so hyper-rational Bones! _Love_ is not rational!"_

"_What? Who said anything about love?"_

"_I...meant the unconditional love the baby would have for you." Booth covered weakly._

"_I may be crap at reading people, Booth, but I can tell when _you're_ lying to me." Booth decided to just let out all the pent up emotion from the past four years in one burst._

"_Oh my God, Bones, are you friggin' blind?! I love you!" He shouted, standing up._

"_What?" Bones asked quietly._

"_I _LOVE_ YOU!" He repeated, louder than before. "I love you, and I have loved you for longer than you could ever imagine, and right now, I cannot understand why." A tear trickled down Bones' soft cheek, and she remained silent. "All I know is, I could never treat the conception of the child I have with someone I love as much as you like a business transaction, and quite frankly, I'm not sure I could love someone who would do that anyway." Bones' big, blue eyes welled up with more tears, but Booth hardly noticed. "You, Bones, you're an absolutely amazing person. You solve murders like no one else in the world can. You're insanely intelligent, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met and you're so much more than what others can simply see. But, Bones, you're damaged, and that's not your fault, but it's the truth. You just...can't relate to other human beings like a normal person. You try and try to learn and get better, and I thought you were getting better, but this just...it completely proves me wrong." The tears were really flowing now, but Booth just continued. "I love you, Temperance Brennan, more than anything else in the known universe. I always thought I was having a good, positive influence on you, and that maybe you could see me as more than a partner too. But, obviously, I was wrong. If you had any feelings for me at all, you'd have known that I could never accept such an offer. A sperm donation? What do you take me for? You're just as cold and rational-thinking as ever!" He walked past her, pulling on his coat hastily and making his way to the door. As he opened it, he turned back to face her, shellshocked on the sofa._

"_You know what, Bones? Sometimes I wish you were just...normal!"_

_Then he slammed the door behind him and stormed out of the apartment building._

"Earth to Booth." Sweets said.

"What?" Booth asked, confused.

"Are you okay? You pretty much spaced out for the past five minutes."

"I...I shouted at her." Booth choked out.

"What? You remembered something?" Sweets asked, hopefully. Booth nodded.

"We...had an...argument."

"About what?"

"She...asked me to...be the father of her child."

"Seriously?" Booth nodded again. "Why?"

"She wants a baby. She doesn't want to be alone forever. I mean, I told her I'd always be there, but she insisted that I wouldn't, that I'd eventually meet someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I wouldn't have time for her anymore. She said I could just donate the sperm, and no one would ever have to know. It'd be like a business transaction."

"And you couldn't agree to that."

"What she doesn't get is that I've already found that person, who I want to spend the rest of my life with, and it's her." Sweets smiled. Booth sighed. "I told her I loved her, more than anything else in the world. I told her I thought she'd changed, because of me. But the fact that she'd be so cold and rational about the conception of her child...our child...I told her I wished she was normal."

"Well, I can see why she was so upset."

"What? You can't take her side!"

"I'm not taking anyone's side. There are no sides. I mean, I can see why you'd be upset too. You obviously harbour very deep feelings for Bones, and just couldn't handle her approach to asking you to father a child with her, but have you ever thought to read between the lines?"

"What?" Booth asked confusedly, not quite understanding what Sweets was getting at.

"I mean, do you not think that maybe...Bones' was trying to tell you something?"

"Like what?"

"Maybe she was using this 'baby' thing as a way of telling you that you mean more to her than just a partner...or a friend."

"I doubt it, Sweets. She made it pretty damn clear that all she wanted was my sperm."

"I'm not convinced. How did she start the conversation?" Booth thought for a moment.

"Well, she started off by saying she didn't want to be alone."

"And then?"

"She said she wanted to settle down and have a family, despite how irrational that sounded. And I told her that it was just her biological clock, and explained that it was entirely normal for her to go through a phase of wanting a child; I told her that I even sometimes thought it'd be nice to have another child. She asked me if I enjoyed being a parent, and I told her it was the most wonderful thing in the world. Then she asked me if I wanted another kid, and I said yeah, but it wouldn't be happening soon because I wasn't with anyone."

"Hmm, was that when she asked if you'd have a baby with her?"

"Yeah. She started off, but then decided it was stupid before she said it, so I pushed her 'til she told me what she wanted to say." Sweets nodded, smiling.

"How did you react at first?"

"I was completely shocked. She said, 'you see, told you it was stupid' before I could even say anything. When I did speak, all I said was 'What?!'."

"That's what I was thinking. She responded to your reaction by acting like it was no big deal. If you'd been less shocked, or at least had a more positive reaction, I bet you she would have responded differently."

"I doubt that."

"You can't say it doesn't make sense."

"I'm not sure that that's how Bones would've acted."

"I think it is."

"But you don't know her."

"I know, but from what you've told me about her, this seems probable."

"I guess, maybe. I just...I thought she was beyond that. I thought I'd had a good influence on her. I thought she'd changed, for the better. I mean, she'll always be Bones, but she's got a lot of emotional scarring, and I thought I'd been helping to heal that, little by little. Obviously I was wrong."

"Booth, don't you think that this might be a slight overreaction? I mean, surely you've had a good effect on her. Didn't you mention before that she never wanted children? Don't you think it's possible that you're the reason she wants children in the first place? I mean, after all, she asked _you_, when she could have easily gone to a sperm bank. She didn't want just anyone's child, she wanted _your_ child. I don't know Bones extremely well, but I know enough about psychology to know that this was a very big deal for her. She was putting herself in a very vulnerable position, out of her normal comfort zone, and you pretty much shot her down."

"What?"

"You effectively told her that she wasn't normal, and that that was a bad thing too."

"I did." Booth sighed. "I'm an ass. A complete and utter ass."

"Well, in your defence, she caught you completely off-guard. It's fairly understandable that you'd react the way you did."

"But I love her _because_ she's not normal. She's unique and she never fails to surprise me. She's not perfect, but she's the most amazing person I've ever met. I...I can't bear to be without her." Sweets smiled.

"Then you've just got to find her."

"But how? How the hell am I supposed to find her? I don't even know how I lost her!"

"I don't know, Booth. But I think you know the answer already."

"No, I don't."

"Hey, you didn't think you knew what happened last night, but you remembered that eventually." Sweets sighed. He looked genuinely upset that he couldn't do anything to help. "Look, I can't help, but I'm certain we'll figure it out soon. You and Bones are obviously meant for each other, and while the path of true love never did run smooth, I think you guys will get your happy ending." Booth smiled.

"Thanks, Sweets." He was still upset about Bones, more than he could say, but hearing someone else say that he and Bones were meant for each other, even if that someone didn't actually know Bones properly, was nice.

It gave him hope.

A/N - Hope you guys enjoyed that! Please review!


	4. Lost Hope, Communication and Realisation

Chapter Four - Lost Hope. Communication. Realisation.

Unfortunately for Booth, hope was seemingly not enough for his life to return to normal. Days of this alternate reality gradually became weeks, and Booth had to get used to the fact that he wasn't going to get his Bones back. He begrudgingly got on with his job in the drugs unit, feeling more like a cop than a Special Agent.

His hope was all but lost, nearly two months after that fateful evening, when something very strange happened. He was driving to work one warm, June morning, when suddenly, his partner's voice rang clear in his ears, as if she were right beside him.

"_Can you hear me, Booth?"_ She asked. She sounded like she'd been crying. Booth's breath caught in his throat as he immediately pulled the car over. _"Who am I kidding? It's not as if you're going answer that question, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and keep talking."_

"Bones?" He asked hesitantly. "Is that you?" However, 'Bones' continued on, as if he hadn't spoken at all. That didn't make sense, not if this was a figment of his imagination. A hallucination would surely talk back, right?

"_You know, I really believe you're still in there, Booth. I really believe you can hear me. And when I say 'hear' I don't just mean that your ears are functioning, I really believe you know what I'm saying. At least, I hope you do."_

"What the hell are you talking about Bones? Of course I can hear you, you're the one who can't hear me!" Booth desperately tried to get her to hear her, but to no avail. She just continued on regardless.

"_The others, they've all given up on you, Booth. I'm not sure why, Booth, but I haven't."_

"Who? Who's given up on me Bones?" Booth asked helplessly. There was no helping it, she couldn't hear him.

"_I...I really miss you, Booth." _She choked out. _"I mean, I know you're right here beside me, technically, but you're not really here either. I miss _you_. I miss everything that makes you you. I miss your smile, your jokes, and the way you know me better than anyone in the world. I miss how you can always cheer me up when I'm upset, because believe me Booth, I could really use some of that right now. I miss talking to you, Booth. I never realised how much I needed you until I lost you. And it's all my fault. I'm sorry, Booth. I'm so sorry." _At this point, she burst into tears, and Booth was left terribly confused. He had so many questions. Where the hell was she? How was she talking to him? Why had everyone given up on him? Why was she saying that he was right beside her, because he clearly wasn't? Why did she have to 'believe' that he was 'still in there'? Where was 'there'? And, most importantly, what did she have to be sorry for? Was this because of their argument? What could have possibly happened as a result of a simple argument? It didn't make any sense, but then again, neither did his current situation, so he was open to any crazy possibilities at this point.

Her sobs continued for a couple of minutes, before dying away. Eventually, all Booth could hear was the noise of the cars passing by. Otherwise, there was complete silence in his car. He decided to consult Sweets about this recent development. He hadn't had much contact with Sweets in the past couple of weeks, as he'd learned very little that was of any use to their investigation.

Booth drove to the FBI Headquarters, and went straight to Sweets' office, rather than going to his own first. Once he reached it, he burst through the door.

"She's talking to me, Sweets." He blurted out.

"Who?"

"Bones." He said simply, as he attempted to catch his breath. Sweets' eyes became wide.

"Please, sit down and explain. Now, start from the very beginning."

"Okay, well I was just driving to work, like I do every morning," there was a slightly bitter tone to Booth's voice on the last two words, "and suddenly, out of the blue, I could hear Bones, _my _Bones, talking to me."

"Talking to you." Sweets repeated, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Yeah."

"Seriously?"

"No, I'm just making it up. Of course seriously!" Booth said, a little impatient.

"Well, what did she say to you, exactly?"

"Well, that's what confuses me the most, actually. She sounded like she'd been crying, and she was saying all this stuff about how 'she still believes I'm in there' and 'she hasn't given up on me yet' and 'she misses me, even though I'm right beside her'. And, when I tried to talk back to her, it was as if she couldn't hear me."

"Hmm, that _is_ rather strange." Sweets said, thoughtfully. "I don't know what to say to you, Booth." He sat back in his chair.

"You do believe me, though, don't you? You don't think I'm crazy?"

"No, not anymore. There was a time when I thought you might just be making it all up, but now, after further examination, I've drawn the conclusion that you must be telling the truth."

"Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better." Booth said sarcastically.

"C'mon, it's not surprising, Booth. Most in my position would have called the men in the white coats by now."

"Thanks for that, Sweets."

"Well, I believe you, that should be enough."

"I guess so." Booth smiled. However, that smile quickly faded when Bones' sobbing became clear in his ears again. "Sweets, I can hear her crying again. Right now."

"Right now?" Booth nodded, as he heard Angela's familiar voice begin to speak too.

"_Sweetie, let them do what they have to do. You of all people should understand that there's nothing we can do to help him now." _She said softly, most likely addressing Bones.

"Angela?" Booth asked. Sweets' brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"Angela? Montenegro?" He asked. Booth nodded, concentrating on the conversation that sounded as if it was happening right beside him.

"_No, No! Ange, there is something we can do! We can give him more of a chance. You don't know he won't come back any minute now!" _Bones protested through her sobs. She sounded heartbroken. _"I'm not...I'm not ready to give up yet. Not on Booth. He always comes back to me. Always. He's never let me down."_

"_Okay, but Bren, this can't go on forever. You know that sooner or later-"_

"_He'll come back. Sooner or later, he'll come back. I know he will. I promised myself that I'd never give up on him, the same way he's never given up on me. Remember when the Gravedigger took me and Hodgins? Booth wouldn't let you give up. He found us. He didn't let us down. He didn't let me down, just like he's not going to now. He's Booth...my Booth."_

And there the conversation died away again.

"They've stopped now." Booth said simply, sinking back into the armchair he'd been sitting on the edge of.

"What did they say?" Sweets asked curiously.

"Well, she was crying, and Angela told her that she had to let 'them' do what they had to do."

"'Them'? Who was she talking about?"

"I have no idea, but Angela was trying to convince Bones that I'm beyond help. Apparently, there's nothing they can do to save me."

"That's not good."

"I know. It's freakin' me out Sweets. I mean, obviously I wasn't replaced with your me. I didn't switch places. I'm missing in their reality."

"But didn't you say Bones said that she was right beside you?"

"Yeah."

"So obviously you're still there."

"I'm there...but I'm not. I don't get it."

"Think about it. How can you physically be there, but not be mentally?" Booth was silent, as realisation swept over him like a gale-force wind.

"She's not the figment of my imagination, she's real. That's why she didn't respond to me, like a hallucination would. She's not in my head, this is. This is all in my head. I'm...in a coma."

Sweets smiled.

"I knew you'd figure it out, eventually." He said, in a slightly sinister tone.

"What? You knew? This whole time you knew what was wrong with me?" Sweets nodded. "What are you, my subconscious or something?"

"Not quite. I'm...the missing memory."

"What?"

"Think about it. You never remembered what happened between when you left Bones' apartment and when you woke up the next morning. You exhibited hangover-like symptoms, despite not having had a chance to drink the previous night. You've had a dull throbbing in the back of your head for two months straight."

"I...I was in an accident?"

"Yes. And what was the last thing you said before this?"

"I...told Bones...I told her I wished she was normal." Booth said quietly.

"You understand then? Because the last thing on your mind before you became comatose was wishing Bones was just like everyone else, your coma fantasy showed you exactly what your life would be like if Bones was normal."

"But why didn't you just tell me?"

"I couldn't. You had to work it out."

"That makes no sense. You had to tell me, anyway."

"Well, that's because I'm part of you. Think about it, I've been asking you questions this whole time, picking at your brain. That was really just you, trying to remember."

"This is messed up."

"Hey, it's your coma fantasy."

"But I've worked it all out now, why amn't I back yet?"

"I was just getting to that." Sweets smiled. He held his hand out. "It's been a pleasure, Booth." He said, as Booth took his hand in his.

Suddenly, there was a flash of pure white light.

The next thing Booth knew, he was lying on the sidewalk. He stood up and looked around. It was dark. He looked at his watch. It was a quarter past nine, on the 4th of April. He was back at the evening where it had all started. He realised that he was only a few hundred yards from Bones' apartment building. Before he could do anything, however, he caught sight of himself, storming out of the building.

He could only watch as he walked, infuriated, straight across the road. Without looking.

He could only watch as he was thrown through the air by the SUV that simply couldn't have seen him coming.

He could only watch as the driver got out of the car, took one look at him and called for an ambulance.

He could only watch as Bones rushed out of her building to his side.

He could only watch as everything faded out of view into blackness.

And then he couldn't even watch anymore.

A/N - Okay, there's one more chapter left, plus an epilogue. Review while you still can!


	5. Reconciliation

Chapter Five - Reconciliation

Everything was black. And everything remained black for several moments. The next thing Booth knew, he could hear several beeping machines. He could feel the light blanket and scratchy sheets of the moderately comfortable bed he now found himself lying in against the bare skin of his arms. He could also feel a warm hand clutching onto his.

He decided to open his eyes to the hospital room.

His awakening was slow; he was suddenly quite groggy. He'd soon realise this was because of the high dose of morphine that was forcing his immense pain into a dull, throbbing sensation.

The owner of the hand holding onto his was immediately aware of his stirring. She burst into tears. It wasn't something she normally did, but had found herself doing several times during that last week.

"Booth! Is that you?" She exclaimed, an expression of utter joy upon her face; her red, puffy eyes lighting up the way only he could make them. Booth wasn't quite able to manage a verbal response, so he tilted his head a little towards her and nodded slightly. "Oh my God! Booth! I can't believe...you're..." she trailed off as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close.

"Bones, you're back." Booth managed to say. She looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean, I'm back?"

"Never mind." He smiled.

"I missed you so much, Booth."

"I know."

"What? How do you know?"

"Let's just say comatose patients hear more than you think."

"You could _hear_ me?" Booth nodded.

"Every word." A tear trickled down Bones' cheek.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Booth."

"What? Why should you be sorry? You didn't make me walk out in front of oncoming traffic."

"Is that sarcasm? Because you know I'm not good at that."

"No, I'm serious. It wasn't your fault."

"I think it was."

"I think it wasn't." Booth smiled.

"But, if I hadn't made you so mad, maybe you wouldn't have-"

"I overreacted."

"But I put you on the spot. And your reaction was completely understandable. You got very frustrated with me, which wasn't unreasonable."

"You know, Bones. I meant every word of it. Except the part where I wished you were normal. I never should have said that. I know you're not normal, but I just want you to know that I could never think that's a bad thing." Bones was silent.

"So...you...meant it when you said...you know...you love me?" Booth nodded.

"Bones, you _know_ I love you. You know that you're more than just my partner. Heck, you're more than just my friend, or best friend even. I mean, I should have told you in a less aggressive way, but that was just because the way you appeared to be so...rational about it all...it just frustrated me. I don't just want to 'father a child' for you, I want to _have_ a child with you, and _be _with you."

"Booth, I have a feeling that's the medicine talking."

"No, Bones, it's not. I've been thinking about us for months, long before any of this."

"Then...why didn't you say anything?" Bones had been asking herself this question for a long time. She'd been fully aware of Booth's attraction to her for years, and had tried and tried to ignore it. However, she also had become aware of her feelings for him that last Christmas, when they'd shared their first kiss. Their had been a definite spark between the two of them, and that spark had been the kick-start that made her start thinking that maybe she liked him too. What had always confused her was that Booth, who was, in her opinion, excellent at expressing his emotions, had never vocalised his feelings. It was understandable that she wouldn't; she was never good at those sorts of things, but she had always been puzzled as to why Booth had never said anything. It didn't make any sense to her.

Booth looked at her, the twinkle already back in his tired eyes.

"Well...it would have been embarrassing, Bones."

"Why?"

"Well...you know...it would have made things pretty awkward...for us."

"I'm not following."

"It's just that...you know...you don't..."

"What? You think I don't love you too? Seeley Booth, _you're_ the one who's blind!" She smiled. She leaned in closer to him and kissed him softly. This kiss lasted several more 'steamboats' than their previous one, and was filled with far more passion and emotion from both sides. It was Bones who eventually had to end it. She looked deep into his eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

"I cannot believe I missed that." Booth said, smiling widely.

"Well, I'm more skilled at concealing my emotions than you are. You wear your heart on your cuff."

"Sleeve, Bones." Booth chuckled.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Never mind, Bones. Never mind." Booth smiled, pulling her in to kiss her again. "You know, when I was in a coma, I had this really weird dream/nightmare thing. It showed me just how my life would be if you were 'normal' like I'd wished." Booth said, once their kiss had ended.

"What was it like?" Bones asked, slightly nervous. She hoped it hadn't been a good experience for Booth.

"It was awful. I was a drugs unit cop and you didn't know me; you weren't even a forensic anthropologist."

"What? What was I?"

"A neurosurgeon."

"Hmm. That's not really a normal job, though."

"Yeah, but obviously you kept your brains."

"Tell me more about this dream."

"Well, your name was Joy Keenan."

"What? Joy Keenan? Is this implying that I'm not normal because of my troubled childhood?"

"Wow, you got that a lot quicker than Sweets or I did."

"Sweets was there?"

"Yeah, he was kind of like my sidekick, helping me solve the mystery."

"Mystery?"

"Did I not mention that I only recovered my memories of the evening when...well, you know, over time?"

"No."

"Well, I did, and neither of us could work out why I was transported to an alternate reality, because I could never remember the accident itself. Turns out that Sweets was the 'missing memory' the whole time."

"Interesting." Bones nodded. "Go on."

"So anyway, you were Joy Keenan and you were married and had a daughter."

"Married?"

"Yeah, well you weren't you either."

"I suppose, it makes sense. What was my daughter's name?" Booth smiled.

"Ruthie."

"After my mom." Bones said quietly. "She still would have been Ruth, if I was Joy."

"Yeah. Too bad we could never name our daughter Ruth."

"Why not?"

"Ruth Booth?"

"Oh..yeah." Bones smiled. "It'd make a nice middle name, though."

"So, you're serious about this baby thing?"

"Yes, but now I'm thinking that it can wait a while."

"Why?"

"Because I've found the man I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Oh, well I hope the two of you are happy together." Booth pretended not to get what she meant, just to see her reaction.

"I mean you, Booth!"

"I know, Bones, I know. And just so we're clear, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too."

"That's good." She smiled. She'd dreamed about this day for a long time. Sure, she'd pictured it pretty differently; none of her ideas of how it would happen ever involved Booth nearly getting killed, but nonetheless, it had happened. She and Booth were together, and she was going to hold onto him forever because, and while she'd never say this aloud, he was her soulmate. They were meant to be. It was fated. Whichever way you put it, it was entirely irrational, but Bones had come to understand, with Booth's help, of course, that love was never supposed to be rational. It was just...love.

A/N - Thanks for all the great reviews on the last chapter :) You see, when you review, updates come a lot quicker! Epilogue should be up in the next few days...


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